Neuxpower, a UK startup, has recoding software that compresses the main Office files to a fraction of their original size without needing rehydration or decompression.

NXPowerLite for File Servers optimises the content of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and JPEG image files to take up far less space than the originals with, it says, no loss of viewing quality for the JPEGs. However, it doesn't say lossless, saying instead that there is no loss of visual content integrity.

The immediate comparison is with Ocarina which also optimises JPEG files as well as numerous other image formats and general files, and does so so by passing the files through a dedicated processing phase after which they have to be retrieved by a social reader software. Neuxpower appears to compress (recode) the main Office files better than Ocarina, although how they compare with JPEGs needs a benchmark test.

Neuxpower does not have a special reader constraint. It says the files are retained with original attributes, such as creator, date, etc, and can be opened by anyone with no need for unzippping, decompression or what have you.

The claim is that file sizes can be reduced by up to 95 per cent of the original size by ejecting what Neuxpower calls excess baggage and recoding images into more suitable sizes and resolution, all while keeping, it says, the basic file intact.

This is primary data compression, not deduplication, although the practical effect is the same. Neuxpower says you can reclaim previously used storage space, avoid buying more storage, and have backups and replication take less time.

It's surprising that there is so much fat to slim down in Office files. No doubt Microsoft will go on an Office file diet in its next major release.

Neuxpower was started up in the UK and has a million users worldwide. It is expanding into the USA with this software. No pricing information was released. ®